Staying Connected in a Fast-Moving World

In the following interview, Dawn Lahlum, president of Park Co. REALTORS®, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® in Fargo, N.D., discusses agent support, client relations, technology and more.

Region Served: Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn. (metropolitan and surrounding areas, including Minnesota lakes market)Years in Real Estate: 24Number of Offices: 1Number of Agents: 75Motto/Work Philosophy That You Live By: In this fast-moving world, it’s important that we remember to respect the pause, not only in our business lives, but also in our personal lives.Best Advice for New Agents: Success requires focus, determination and unwavering commitment.

How does your company make its agents’ jobs easier?
We provide all the support services to allow them to focus on their clients (e.g., listing services, closing services, marketing services, professional photographers, sign installers, etc.). A customized broker management program we designed—ParkPRO—has changed the way our agents conduct their business. Accessible from any mobile device, it’s their office on the go. Recently, our Top Sales Associate of the Month was able to conduct all of her business from this program and through DocuSign while out of the country.

Which demographic segments are driving your business these days?
Millennials continue to drive our first-time homebuyer market, and the growth in our move-up market stems from Gen Xers and those relocating to our area for job opportunities. We also have a strong vacation home market in our nearby lakes area that appeals to all demographic segments.

What is your favorite time-saving tool that you use on a weekly basis?
My smartphone is my lifeline. Remotely utilizing the ParkPRO program allows me full access to everything I need to make decisions on a brokerage level and stay connected. While I make it a priority to spend as much time as possible in the office with our agents and client services team, I’m always connected and informed when out of the office giving back to the community.

What is your top strategy for closing a transaction?
Proactive communication from both our agents and our closing services team. We strive to keep all parties in the transaction informed to prevent any last-minute surprises and issues that could pop up and derail the closing. If an issue does arise and all parties work together, our clients win.

How do you use technology to better serve your clients?
Our community loves to use our Park Co. REALTORS® app (web.parkcompany.com). It has many cool features, including Map Draw, where one can draw an area on a map and see what houses are for sale, narrow searches by schools, determine commute times, etc. My personal favorite is Park Scan, where virtual reality allows one to use any mobile device and scan from anywhere in our market to see houses for sale within a certain mile radius.

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